Reviewing Signed Documents

Trust the green checkmark

Now that you’re looking at a PDF file, what’s next? If you’ve opened the file with the Adobe Reader, look for the green checkmark at the top of the screen:

This tells you that there have been no changes in the document since the last signature was applied and that all changes have been approved.

When you should be concerned

The SIGNiX platform will display icons to let you know when you should pay particular attention to the signatures or content in a document or contract.

Yellow Exclamation Point

This icon tells you something may have changed after the last signature was applied. It may be intentional, but the software is letting you know to be aware. Click the pen icon on the left side. You will see an in-document change tracker, showing you each of the signatures applied, and changes made after the last signature.

Magnifying Glass

This icon tells you something was recently changed in the document you are viewing. You will need to ‘validate’ the signatures for Reader to let you know what changed. Simply click the pen icon and then the ‘Validate All’ button. The icon will then change.

Red X

If you see the Red X, you should not trust this document. It means that substantive changes have been made to the document and the integrity of the original PDF is compromised. Get in touch with the organization or individual that sent you the document and request an original.

What should the signature look like?

The digitally signed document you received might have one signature, or twenty. What do you need to look for in the signatures themselves?

SIGNiX signatures can be chosen from one of several signature fonts. Or, the signer can use their finger or mouse to draw their signature or initial too.

These signatures aren’t simply images of a signature with a link to a third party website. Each SIGNiX signature and initial creates a tamper-evident seal on the document and embeds the critical signature information into the document. If you’re viewing this document in Adobe Reader or another PDF viewer on Windows or Mac, you can click on each signature to get at this information. Here are some highlights.

Signature History™

Each SIGNiX signature and initial creates an embedded signature on the document. Even better, it also embeds a history of the document through each signature—we call this the Signature History™. With this feature, you can easily see what the document looked like when a each signer signs the document. This is useful in multiplesignature and party workflows, where one signer may question the content of a document at the time of signature. It’s available within the document, even offline.

If you have received a document with multiple signatures, you can view the embedded Signature History within PDF viewers. Follow these steps:

Right-click (Cmd-click) on a signature, and choose View Signed Version.

The PDF viewer will create a new window showing what the document looked like when that signer signed the document.

Viewing on mobile devices

The PDF's feature are not the same on mobile devices, so be sure to understand what to expect when viewing a SIGNiX digitally signed document on a mobile device. A current lack of support for these features on most mobile devices, may cause the visibility of signatures and function to differ. Some native apps may not display the signatures correctly, so it’s important to know how to view these signatures. Don’t worry! The signatures ARE there, but the native viewer may not know what to do with them.

SIGNiX strongly recommends installing the free Adobe Reader app for iOS or Android - this app will correctly show the appearance of any PDF digital signature.

Once you’ve installed the app, follow these instructions:

If you received the document as attachment in email (iOS)

Scroll to find the attachment icons.

Download the PDF attachment. It may open in a preview, a pop-up, or within the email.

Press and hold on the attachment icon or the previewed document until a new dialog pops-up. Select the Adobe Reader app from the contextual menu.

Tap on the Adobe Reader app and the file will preview correctly.

If you received the document as attachment in email (Android)

Choose Attachments from the middle tab bar to view the attachments.

Tap the Load button to download the files.

Tap the View button. A list of apps able to open the PDF should be displayed, if you haven’t already assigned a default.

Tap on the Adobe Reader icon, and then tap Always. Now all PDF files will be viewed in Adobe Reader.

The file should now open in Adobe Reader and be displayedcorrectly.

Document already in preview or Quick Look (iOS)

If you only have one email attachment email, or you downloaded a digitally signed file, you may already be viewing the PDF. If you’re in a browser like Safari, it may have opened in a new tab. You may be wondering where the signatures are…they’re there, open it in Adobe Reader.

Tap your finger once on the screen. In the upper right hand corner you should see an icon of a box with an arrow pointing out or "Open in…"

Tap on the icon or "Open in..."

Now, click on the Adobe Reader icon, and you’ll see the document as it was intended with the signatures you were expecting.

Note: Features like the green checkmark, Signature History™, and other embedded information will not be available on a mobile device. If you have questions about the document, open it on a computer in Adobe Reader (or other app as described above) to view assurance features.

TotalAudit™

Now that you know what to look for with the digitally signed document from SIGNiX, access a copy of the audit trail or history behind the transaction. We recommend that signers download the PDF versions of their signed documents, or the PDF version of the audit trail.

This transactional audit trail traces every single event from the initiation of the transaction to its final steps. It captures key legal points including: transaction start, email delivery, site entry, consent, authentication result, document presentation, each signature or initial, tasks, transaction end and many more. The audit trail also stores all opt out and comment activity.